1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a global system for detection of security breaches in shipments, and more particularly to a system for tracking containers during transport.
2. Statement of the Problem
Since the September 11 catastrophe, security has become a major concern, wherein, requests to more actively track the whereabouts of trucks and other assets have been overwhelming. One area of concern is the physical security of public locations, including enterprises, campuses and other public buildings. Conventional physical security measures such as intrusion detection, CCTV surveillance, metal detection, perimeter security using bollards, and protection of building air intakes are often the first line of defense against terrorism, for high-threat, high vulnerability infrastructures. These methods are often supplemented with operational procedures to mitigate an attack, including pre-planned evacuation strategies. Such measures, however, are not sufficient to counter unconventional threats such as dirty bombs, and chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction.
Another area of concern is cargo being tampered with or dangerous packages being implanted onto transporting vehicles. In the recently introduced Customs—Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)—a join initiative between US Government and the industry, importers take prominent steps to assess, evolve and communicate tighter security practices for cargo. This allows shippers to receive expedited processing across the US borders.
Documentation has not traditionally been an important part of getting cargo out of a foreign port. Under the new 24-hour rule, US Customs requires that it be notified 24 hours before the ship sails with cargo bound for the US. In other words, the new rule requires advance submission of the cargo manifest. Prior to the new rule, the shipper made a booking with the shipping line which reserved equipment and space on the ship. For the most part, this was done by telephone or fax, although there is now steady growth in bookings being made online.
The next step was for the shipper to issue Shipping instructions. The shipping instructions provide a more detailed description of the cargo to be shipped, origin and destination addresses and details of the shipper and consignee. This is the information, collected from many shippers, that is used to create the cargo manifest.
The timescale for the process has been very variable. Bookings may have been made a month ahead or 2 days before the vessel sails and the complete shipping instructions were sometimes not received until after the vessel sailed. Delayed information is inconvenient for the shipper but, in general, as long as the manifest was completed ahead of the arrival at the destination port, it was not a problem.
However, US Customs has implemented new rules on the advance submission of cargo manifests in the trades to the US. The new rule is stated by the US Customs: “For any vessel . . . except for any vessel exclusively carrying bulk or break bulk cargo, Customs must receive from the carrier vessel, the vessel's Cargo Declaration, or an electronic equivalent, 24 hours before such cargo is laden aboard the vessel at the foreign port.”
The four core elements of the US Customs Container Security Initiative focuses specifically on container traffic and aims to screen inbound containers before they reach the United States. The four core elements of CSI are: establishing security criteria to identify high-risk containers; catching high-risk containers before they arrive at US ports; using technology to quickly prescreen or inspect high-risk containers; and developing and using smart and secure containers.
Failure to provide complete and timely documentation results in cargo that carriers will not load or that US Customs will not permit to unload. Importers need to make sure that their suppliers and logistics providers comply with the regulations, or risk having cargo stranded at the origin, or, even worse, on an inbound vessel that cannot be unloaded.
For now, the new rule applies to US-inbound cargo only. However, the industry can expect equivalent rulings from other jurisdictions worldwide in response to terrorist and other security threats. Portals, such as GTN, currently offer the most efficient means to link all of the parties, provide a central data depository and to generate key alerts.
Tracking systems of different kinds such as those based on transponders, electronic tags, or radio tags RFID (radio frequency identification) mounted on containers or carriers are known in the art. To track a vehicle, the vehicle positions over a period of time need to be known. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a popular means to determine the position of a vehicle having a GPS receiver. GPS can determine the position of a vehicle which is on land, at sea, or in the air. The GPS information is typically communicated to positional software embedded in a GPS receiver.
Many shipping companies attach transmitting devices to shipping containers to track their geographic location. This allows the shipping company to determine the geographic location of the container as it moves between the origination and destination points to determine whether the goods inside the container are on time, late, or somehow misplaced. For instance, the container may have been misrouted or been placed on the incorrect transportation vehicle to reach its destination. Tracking of containers in transit is well developed, including the use of satellites and other electronic technology to obtain real-time data on in transit locations.
The tracking devices associated with the container rely on the transmission and reception of various types of communication signals, such as electromagnetic and/or radio frequency signals, for determining the geographic position. A problem occurs when the container with the tracking device is loaded onto a transportation vessel, such as a ship, wherein containers are loaded into areas of the vessel which obstruct the signals. The user is left to track the vehicle rather than the container and trust that the container did indeed get loaded onto the vessel. While out-of-range, the tracking system is essentially deactivated since it is unable to communicate with the control station.
Other known security systems include alarm systems that secure the contents of trailers/fleets from origination to destination. Local alarm systems serve as theft deterrent by sending tamper detection alerts. An attempt to tamper with the doors of the trailer results in the system sending an alarm to a pager carried by the drivers (allows detection only with a specific range). The system also tracks events history such as door openings. Widespread usage of alarm systems is seen among small and medium sized fleets.
A radio-frequency device that transmits shipping data as it passes a reader device and indicates whether the container to which it is attached has been tampered with is the “e-seal”. The e-seal consists of a bolt that locks the container when inserted into the seal body and serves as an antenna. The seal body contains a microchip for encoding the information and transmitting that information when queried by a reader. However, the container to which it is attached is required to be within range of the reader for transmission. Therefore, the data is not updated while the container is in transit between an origination and a destination. Another problem with the e-seal is that e-seals have limited signal strength and must be read at line-of-sight distances that do not exceed 70 feet. This makes it difficult to read these particular seals in marine terminals or the holds of ships where containers are stacked in close proximity or where the signals may be blocked.
Another problem is detecting cargo that poses a radiation threat. The three primary methods of detecting radiation threats in cargo containers are (a) manual inspection, (b) remote inspection and (c) in-container detection. The shortcomings of manual inspection are obvious. Remote inspection involves scanning a container with penetrating radiation as is done for luggage screening at airports. An important difference, however, is that airport scanners use low intensity x-rays whereas cargo containers use high-intensity, high-energy gamma rays owing to the size and metal construction of the containers. Use of high-intensity, high-energy gamma rays is potentially harmful to humans, relies on a human observer to identify a radiation threat, requires a change in the unloading procedures which may result in delays, and does not provide offshore protection.
For these reasons, under the new 24-hour rule, there is a need for a reliable tracking system that provides the customer with a comprehensive security status of the container during transit.